Stanford 9 scores released last week by the Arizona Department of Education show that schools, where the Math Achievement Initiative by Rodel was introduced, made significant increases in student achievement! Rodel Charitable Foundation of Arizona President and CEO, Carol G. Peck, shares, “We expected huge gains, but were amazed when our MAC-Ro schools exceeded our expectations for growth.”

“The proof is in the pudding,” says Peck, “as evidenced by the percentile ranking of the eight Maricopa County schools participating in the original MAC-Ro pilot program. In just one and one-half years of exposure to MAC-Ro, the eight schools whose boundaries stayed the same, made an average gain of 19.5 percentile points. Each of the eight schools gained between 10 and 28 percentile points between 2002 and 2004. This represents a success rate of more than six times the state average gain for third-grade mathematics scores during the same time period.”

MAC-Ro is based on the successful Superintendent’s Math Achievement Club started by Peck 16 years ago during her superintendency in the Alhambra Elementary School District. Its goal is to improve third-grade math achievement using a combination of increased time on task, parent involvement, strategies for teaching the Arizona Academic Standards, systematic review, and monthly “surprises” as motivation for students to do well.

The MAC-Ro pilot schools, all of which made significant gains, are Mitchell and Sutton schools in the Isaac Elementary School District, Kuban and Sullivan schools in the Murphy Elementary School District, Desert Horizon and Pendergast schools in the Pendergast Elementary School District, and Gonzales and Sheely Farms schools in the Tolleson Elementary School District.

MAC-Ro’s growth is accelerating. Last school year, MAC-Ro expanded to 15 schools and 7 new districts, and also added Pima and Yavapai counties. Thanks in part to contributions from Bank One, APS, Intel, and the BHHS Legacy Foundation, a whole new round of expansion begins this school year.Beginning next month, the initiative will reach 8,000 students in 300 classrooms attending 57 schools in 26 districts, across five counties, focusing on the highest poverty communities. Due to the tremendous gains, fourth graders will also have the opportunity to participate in the program.

The Rodel Charitable Foundation of Arizona’s vision is forArizona to have one of the best pre-k to 12 educational systems in the country by the year 2020.